SURVEY OF PAPYRI 1949-1950 387
P A P Y R I F R O M T H E B Y Z A N T I N E P E R I O D A. E. R. В O A K , Early Byzantine Papyri from the Cairo Museum
(Extr. des Etudes de Papyrologie YII 35 — 71).
The papyri presented in this collection form the continuation of the series from the archive of Aurelios Isidoros of Karanis pub-lished in Etudes de Papyrologie II 1 - 2 2 ; III 1—45; V 85—117. They are numbered in sequence from the thirty texts which ap-peared so far in the afore-mentioned periodical.
No. 31 (311 A.D.) is a report of chaff-collections. In the opening line of Col. I, the document is described as εμβολής άχύρου ιθ (έτους). Accordingly, it is an account of the collection of the chaff-tax from the harvest of the 19th year (310/11 A.D.) and destined for shipment to Alexandria or other points in Egypt, since there is no report of the transport of chaff to Rome or Byzantium. In form the report is an άπαιτήσιμον κατ' άνδρα containing entries of individual deliveries on specific dates. No. 32 (313/4 A.D.) is a re-gister of landholders : a list of the holders of that class of govern-ment lands called απρατα in the three villages of Nea Ptolemais, Bacchias and Kerkesoucha in the 22nd year (Col. I 1 — 3). The lands designated by the term απρατα were those which were offered for sale by the government but not yet purchased (cf. R o -s-towzew, Rom. Kolonát pp. 149 ff., Oxy 1633e and note; Prei-s i g k e Wb. Prei-s. h. v.). They could, therefore, be held under leaPrei-se and the holders of these lands appear in this list were undoubtedly state tenants. But we may suspect that perhaps they did not take up this land voluntarily and that their leases partook of the obli-gatory character of an επιβολή of ownerless land imposed upon the villagers of Karanis and assigned to the landholders who appear in the list. No. 33 (early IY cent. A.D.) is also a list of landholders. It is probably safe to assume that the list had something to do with the assignement or collection of taxes. No. 34 (315 A.D.) is a receipt for a delivery of wood, by Aristos and Germanos, two komarchs of Karanis. No. 35 (309 A.D.) is a deed of sale of a young female donkey (cf. my Laiv I 252 — 254). No. 38 (early IV cent. A.D.) is a pittakion account. The significance of the term pittakion has been discussed by T. T. K a l è n , (Beri. Leigh, pp. 2 0 8 - 2 1 2 ) who has demonstrated that pittakion was the name of a special form of tenure of government-land, which came to be applied to such leaseholders themselves. No. 39 (309 A.D.) is a loan of
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JOURNAL OF PAPYROLOGY P L A T E I P L A T E wheat. The amount of the loan is six artabas of wheat, togetherwith a ήμιολία of three artabas. The hemiolia, of course, was not actually delivered to Heras, and his acknowledgement of its receipt constitutes merely an assumption of the obligation to pay this amount as a f i x e d charge in consideration for the loan in kind (cf. B e r g e r , Strafklauseln pp. 122 — 123; m y Law I 262/3). The purpose of Heras in making the loan is not stated. It is likely that we have here to do with a delinquent taxpayer, who was unable to meet his wheat quota and so had to resort to the sitologoi — they are the lenders (creditors) — for a temporary loan to satisfy the tax-collectors. In other words, the sitologoi paid his tax and charged him with 5 0 % interest for doing so. A loan of barley for a similar purpose, although not made b y the sitologoi, is to be found in No. 28 (cf. however C. B. W e l l e s , American Journal of Philology, vol. L X X I 1 (1950) p. 111).
Raphael Taubenschlag
Le δείγμα, Musée du Caire, Journal d'entrée N° 88756.
Papyrus University College London. •.\·-·ν
